DENNEY AND COUGHLIN EARN FIRST GRAND PRIX MEDAL T ey have been together for just more than a year but the pair of Caydee
Denney and John Coughlin are already making a name for themselves on the international stage. Reigning U.S. champions, Denney and Coughlin placed eighth at last year’s World Championships, but now they can add Grand Prix Series medalists to their growing list of accolades. “It’s exciting, we are happy with how we skated, and it’s a good start for our
fi rst Grand Prix.” Denney said of their bronze-medal fi nish. T e medal is the fi rst for a U.S. pairs team since November of 2010 when
GAO’S BIG MAC ATTACK Christina Gao better be careful. After
earning her fi rst Grand Prix medal — a silver at Skate America — the aff able 18-year-old has friends who are ready to dish. When
icenetwork.com’s Tanith Belbin asked fans to submit questions for the com- petitors, one “fan” had a strange request: “Ask Christina [Gao] how much she loves Big Macs.” Confronted before a live camera, the
Harvard freshman covered her face and spun around. “T is is so embarrassing,” she said, a wide
smile confi rming the truth. “Did Adam [Rip- pon] ask that? It was either Adam or Douglas [Razzano].” Well, Ms. Gao, you are correct. It was
Douglas. “Christina has a habit of eating McDonald’s
every now and then, and I think it is so ridicu- lous,” Razzano said. “But you know what? She just won a medal at Skate America, so I don’t think anyone is going to criticize her. As a matter of fact, I think she should have a Big Mac right now.” For the record, Gao, whose coursework in- cludes a class on cellular biology, said she rarely eats fast food. “No,” she laughed, “I haven’t eaten any re-
cently.” — Barb Reichert
SEATTLE SC PERFORMS AT SPECTACULAR Members of the Seattle Skating Club
performed a program showcasing the Pacifi c Northwest’s tie to the wonderful world of technology as part of the Smucker’s Skating Spectacular. More than 50 Basic Skills through nov-
ice-level skaters performed the dynamic routine to the delight of a nearly sold-out ShoWare Center. T ey earned this opportunity by sell- ing the most tickets of any club for Skate America. Paul Askham, a four-time British champion and Olympic team member, choreographed and put the program together in less than a week. T e club’s rich history dates
back more than 75 years and in- cludes skaters such as Olympic sil- ver medalist Rosalynn Sumners.
22 DECEMBER 2012
Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig claimed bronze at 2010 Rostelecom Cup. Coughlin was surprised, yet humbled, with that news. “Oh wow, I didn’t realize that. It’s exciting,” Coughlin said. “Any athlete’s goal is to leave their sport better than they found it and if we can start making medals for American pairs on the Grand Prix a regular thing, that would be something we would be very proud of.”
— Josh Ellis
MEMORIES OF BIGFOOT Ashley Wagner is fearless on the ice.
Known for her backstage gameface, it’s hard to imagine anything scares the U.S. champi- on and now Skate America gold medalist. But driving south of Seattle on Interstate 5, a snow- capped Mount Rainier reminded her of a long- ago hike during a visit with her uncle. “Wow, look at that,” she said looking at the 14,410-foot mountain. “It’s just beautiful. When I was a little girl, maybe 6 or 7, my uncle took me hiking on Mount Rainier. He told me this long story about Sasquatch being up there, and fi nished it by saying, ‘Stay close, or Sasquatch will get you.’ I was terrifi ed. I never left his side.” T en she laughed. “I think that was his intent.” Wagner, whose military family moved sev-
en times during her childhood, spent part of her young life in Seabeck, Wash. She now trains in Aliso Viejo, Calif., under coach John Nicks. — Barb Reichert
KENT SUPPORTS TEAM USA
A large American fl ag hung high above the rink at one end, and fans cheering on the red, white and blue fi lled the seats. Skate America provided a great atmosphere for the skaters representing Team USA, and it was certainly felt down on the ice. “Just hearing the crowd response when they call our name out to go to our spot was overwhelmingly positive and really supportive,” U.S. pairs skater Simon Shnapir said. “It defi nitely feels good and gives you a boost of confi dence.” He and partner Marissa Castelli appeared at their second Skate America and have been
Seattle Skating Club
competing together at the U.S. Championships since 2007. Castelli is becoming more familiar with the faces she sees in the crowd. “From making friends with a lot of fans I can spot them in the crowd now,” Castelli said. “T ere’s this one woman named Jen who had a sign, and I spotted her right away. I know a few people in the crowd now from seeing them over and over, and it’s wonderful to see them back out here.”
T e crowd helped Team USA to the most medals of any country at Skate America: four, including two gold medals
— Josh Ellis
DREAM COME TRUE FOR SPEROFF Fourth-place fi nishers at the 2012
Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Champi- onships, Gretchen Donlan and Andrew Speroff competed at their fi rst Grand Prix event in Kent. Even after just taking to the ice once for practice, it was apparent how excited the two were to be on this stage for the fi rst time in their careers. “T is was our fi rst time out on Grand
Prix ice and this is a fresh and new expe- rience for us,” Speroff said. “We just went into sponge mode and tried to absorb every- thing. It defi nitely has a diff erent feeling.” During his free skate, Speroff said he re-
alized that a childhood dream had come true. “I had a moment out there when I was
like, this is Skate America, I’ve been watch- ing this since I was a kid,” Speroff said. “It felt awesome to be out there.”
— Josh Ellis
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